So last year in the social media world was a bit mad. There were so many big changes that left one’s head spinning. Here are just a few that we noticed.

#1: User lost confidence in Facebook as a whole last year. From issues with Cambridge Analytica, combined with the non-stop negative press about how Facebook used your profile data, prompted a lot of people to find new places to hang out online.

#2: Twitter cracked down on automation. If this has been part of your plan, that’s a strategy that’s no longer working as Twitter cleaned up its user experience. And deleted many suspect accounts.

#3: Facebook reduced the reach of all content. In an effort to refocus its users on meaningful conversations, FaceBook essentially halted most organic reach. Goodbye traffic!

#4: Instagram launched IGTV. In an attempt to create an alternative to YouTube, they created a new long-form vertical video platform.

#5: YouTube rolled out Stories. Not wanting to be left behind, they decided to become “Instagram-like.”

#7: LinkedIn revamped groups. This Microsoft-owned platform decided to overhaul its groups product to appeal to more users.

And let’s also not forget the global rollout of FB Watch, new ads formats (think Stories ads and ThruPlay), and GDPR…There’s a pretty good chance your strategies have been thrown out the window. The only constant in our industry is change. Industry analysts expect 2019 to be a breakout year for innovation as the social platforms shake off the GDPR changes and focus on competitive differentiation.